Archive – Science

Novartis blossoms from surprise beginnings

This content was published on Mar 6, 2006 Today Novartis, a Latin phrase meaning “new ways”, has outstripped Basel rival Roche and the juggernaut shows no signs of slowing. Novartis is one of the world’s undisputed pharmaceutical heavyweights, ranked fourth last year in terms of total pharmaceutical sales by market researchers IMS Health. Net profit soared ten percent in 2005 to a record…

Locarno’s mayor talks politics

This content was published on Mar 6, 2006 She explains how her enthusiasm and commitment to the job have stood her in good stead. Locarno, a town in the Italian-speaking canton of Ticino, is unusual in that its seven-member council has a majority of women. Men still largely dominate many local administrations in Switzerland. Earlier this year Speziali, who is also a lawyer,…

Winter’s return wreaks havoc in Switzerland

This content was published on Mar 5, 2006 High winds followed by record snowfall has closed roads and rail lines, led to flight cancellations and cut off alpine villages. At least two people have died. According to the Swiss weather service, MeteoSwiss, as much as 60 centimetres of fresh snow fell within a 24-hour period in some urban areas in eastern Switzerland, breaking…

Synthetic biology stokes fear and expectation

This content was published on Feb 27, 2006 Only in its infancy, the technology offers hope in areas such as medicine and environmental protection but there are fears it could be hijacked by bioterrorists to build deadly viruses. Synthetic biology is an emerging research field where the aim is to redesign existing organisms to enable them to perform new functions or to build…

Complaints about prices continue to rise

This content was published on Feb 24, 2006 The figure is almost 50 per cent up on 2004 and double that of 2003. Moans mainly centred on prices for medicines, books, cable television and customs’ duties. The federal price administrator, Rudolf Strahm, said the number of complaints represented growing public awareness of prices. Medicines came under scrutiny once again, despite an agreement reached…

Generic drugs market shoots up

This content was published on Feb 24, 2006 News of the 40 per cent market growth comes less than two months after the government introduced measures encouraging people to choose generic drugs over brand products. In November last year Swiss Interior Minister Pascal Couchepin put forward a series of measures aimed at cutting health costs by at least SFr86 million ($65.5 million) a…

One in five workers is foreign

This content was published on Feb 21, 2006 A separate study on Tuesday showed that half of Swiss firms have problems finding enough qualified staff. By the middle of last year, some 829,000 foreigners were working in Switzerland, an increase of 12,000 or 1.5 per cent over a year earlier. The figures, for the second quarter of last year, show that foreign workers…

Magnetism proves a tonic for the depressed

This content was published on Feb 21, 2006 Geneva’s university hospital treated 30 patients with transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), and reported impressive results. The patients in the Geneva trial were selected because of their strong resistance to conventional treatments, such as drugs and psychotherapy. “Half of them responded well to this alternative therapy and have remained in a stable condition for several months”,…

Swiss keep time at Turin Winter Games

This content was published on Feb 19, 2006 His company, Swiss Timing, is a subsidiary of the world’s leading watchmaker, Swatch Group, and specialises in timekeeping and displaying result tables. For de Rose the Winter Games began more than three years before the opening ceremony in Turin. The first operational discussions with the International Olympic Committee took place while Swiss Timing was involved…

Swiss Tamils look to preserve their culture

This content was published on Feb 18, 2006 Although they encountered prejudices at first, Tamils are now regarded as having adapted well to their new home. But they are still not fully integrated. In 1983 the Tamil Tigers group began fighting for a separate homeland for ethnic Tamils in Sri Lanka, claiming discrimination by the majority Sinhalese. The conflict escalated and many Tamils…

Archive – Science

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Archive – Science

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Novartis blossoms from surprise beginnings

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Locarno’s mayor talks politics

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Winter’s return wreaks havoc in Switzerland

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Synthetic biology stokes fear and expectation

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Complaints about prices continue to rise

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Generic drugs market shoots up

More

One in five workers is foreign

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Magnetism proves a tonic for the depressed

More

Swiss keep time at Turin Winter Games

More

Swiss Tamils look to preserve their culture

Popular Stories

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